Vegetation Management

Not only does proper vegetation management help keep our line crews safe while they are performing maintenance or repairs, it also helps keep our members safe. When we prune trees, it helps prevent system damage, downed power lines, and other hazards.

We ask that members never attempt to clear trees or branches on or around powerlines. Electric utility lines carry voltages much greater than standard household voltages, and they can cause serious harm or death if you are not working in the right way or with the right equipment. Electrocution can occur even if you are not touching the line directly, as tree limbs or other debris could be conducting electricity.

Consolidated is committed to the safety of our employees, members, and communities, and we use qualified line-clearance contractors who are specially trained for this work.  For your safety and the safety of others, please contact us before completing any vegetation management work in the vicinity of our power lines, and do not attempt to remove any debris from a powerline yourself.  Call us at 800-421-5863 for help.

Trees are a leading cause of electric blinks and outages, especially when the weather brings rain, snow, ice, lightning, and/or high winds. During these weather events, vegetation within the minimum clearance of powerlines can and will cause service interruptions. One of the best ways to reduce those interruptions is to maintain adequate clearance between trees and overhead powerlines through proper pruning.

In addition to reducing power interruptions, well-maintained rights of way allow easier access for personnel and equipment, making routine maintenance and outage restoration more safe and efficient. This also helps ensure that cooperative members do not incur unnecessary costs of repairing damages and restoring outages caused by trees and undesired vegetation.

As a not-for-profit cooperative, our rates reflect the costs we pay to build and maintain our system, and it is very costly to convert an overhead system to be fully underground. In addition to not wanting our members to face those costs, underground systems can lead to more difficult and time-consuming repairs when service interruptions do occur. Portions of our system are buried where prudent, but it is not in our members’ best interests to bury all of it.

The amount of pruning and type of pruning is determined by the following factors:

• Tree Species
• Growth Rate (how much the tree will grow after pruning)
• Wood Strength (likelihood of limb failure under snow, ice, or strong wind)
• Conductivity (how well the wood can conduct electricity)
• Branch Size (Larger-diameter limbs tend to be heavier and pose a greater risk of long-term, costly power interruptions.)
• Line Voltage (higher voltage lines require greater clearance)
• Multi-Phase Lines
• Tree location in relation to protective devices, electrical equipment, and critical points in the circuit.
• Tree location in relation to general public safety.

Consolidated Cooperative follows the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) A-300 Part 1: Tree, Shrub, and other Woody Plant Maintenance – Standard Practices, Pruning. Endorsed by the International Society of Arboriculture, promoting directional pruning methods that minimize stress and focus on tree health while obtaining necessary clearance from power lines. Consolidated also follows the “Best Management Practices for Integrated Vegetation Management,” endorsed by the Utility Arborist Association. Our crews avoid “topping” trees, a practice that leaves trees vulnerable to decay and infestation, and leads to increased, undesirable regrowth. After a tree has been “topped,” regrowth forms as water-sprouts – growth shoots that originate from growth nodes on the surface or buried in the old wood of a plant. These sprouts (pictured below) are very weak and are likely to fail and cause power interruption in the future.

Minimum acceptable clearances are measured perpendicular to the closest conductor.

The minimum clearance shall be eight feet from the closest conductor for slow-growing species (including but not limited to oaks and conifers except white pine).

The minimum clearance shall be ten (10) feet from the closest conductor for medium-growing species (including but not limited to hickory, white pine, sugar maple, and catalpa).

The minimum clearance shall be fifteen (15) feet from the closest conductor for medium-to-fast-growing species (including but not limited to elm, ailanthus, Hackberry, willow, cottonwood and silver maple).

In certain situations, licensed applicators will manage vegetation by targeting incompatible brush and tree species with EPA-approved herbicide application and leave the treated brush standing for effective control.  This approach, carried out by skilled professionals, ensures safety and regulatory compliance.

Service and secondary lines are more resistant to tree contact than distribution or primary lines.

Secondary lines (also called “secondary wires” or “secondary conductors”) are located between the cooperative-owned pole with a transformer and the final Cooperative-owned pole.  Consolidated will remove all necessary limbs and branches by natural pruning methods to provide swing-free clearance from all secondary conductors. 

Individual service lines (also called “service wires” or “service drops”) span from the last Cooperative-owned pole to the member’s meter.  Service lines are to be cleared only if authorized by our system arborist.  Pruning of service and secondary lines is only completed during routine vegetation maintenance.  Consolidated does not remove trees along service or secondary lines.  Tree removal is the responsibility of the member. 

If you plan to prune or remove trees close to service or secondary lines, please contact us first. We will schedule a line crew to disconnect and drop line temporarily so that your work can be completed safely. There is no cost to have this done during regular business hours.

As a part of our Vegetation Management program, we periodically inspect pad-mounted transformers when we need to access the equipment. Occasionally, it may be necessary for our crews to remove vegetation to safely access our equipment. 

No trees or shrubs should be planted within 10 feet of the access to the transformer, and vegetation must remain four feet from the other three sides. Consolidated does not offer hazard tree removal for surface-mounted equipment – it is the members responsibility to hire a qualified contractor to complete necessary work.

The above image shows an example of vegetation that is too close to a surface-mounted transformer.

Planting too close to underground utilities can be very dangerous. Always call 811 before you dig to get the precise location of your underground utilities, or visit OUPS.org to learn more. If you dig without knowing where your underground utilities are located, you could sever a line, leading to service outages and serious hazards. Expanding tree roots can lift or crush utility lines and cables, creating outages, costly repairs, and environmental hazards. Make sure to read the tag on any tree or shrub carefully before planting, and keep them a safe distance away from underground utilities.

Plant the right tree in the right place! When selecting a tree or shrub, read the plant’s tag to find it’s “mature height” – or the size it will reach once it is fully grown. Avoid hazardous conditions and costly service interruptions by planting tall-growing trees (mature height of 45 feet or higher) at least 50 feet away from power lines. Trees that grow 40 feet tall or less can be planted 20 feet away from overhead lines. Small trees and shrubs that grow fewer than 20 feet tall may be planted near overhead lines. See the diagram below for an example of proper planting around overhead power lines.

To help ensure reliable service, our crews must always have unobstructed access to our distribution equipment. Members are responsible for keeping areas around electric meters, transformers, and other electrical equipment free of any vegetation. If you have a pad mounted (green box) transformer in your yard, make sure to allow 10 feet of clearance in front of transformer doors, and four feet of clearance around the sides and back.